20 Rumoured January Transfer Targets for Manchester United

The summer transfer window didn't quite go to plan for David Moyes and Manchester United and, after an uncertain start, the new boss' squad looks in need of a few additions in order to close the gap on their top four rivals.

With Patrice Evra indicating that he will be leaving the club in the summer due to personal reasons, bedding in a new left-back before the Frenchman departs will be a top priority while the team's midfield also lacks quality and numbers.

Marouane Fellaini arrived in September to add some steel next to Michael Carrick in the middle, but their sluggishness on and off the ball has hurt United so far this season, and a back-up or improvement on Tom Cleverley will be sought to add pace and power to their combination.

Finally, the left-wing spot remains slightly under-powered with Danny Welbeck, Ashley Young and Shinji Kagawa yet to look fully convincing on the flank.

As always at Old Trafford, another striker may be on the cards with Moyes well aware of the importance of enhancing the team's fear factor and goal threat.

The next 20 or so slides will rundown the key targets sought by the manager and Ed Woodward in the new year, who have been handed around £100 million to ensure sure mistakes are not repeated and that deals are done, according to The Daily Star.

Hit the button below or head for the directional arrows to get started.

Rumoured Departures

Wilfried Zaha

Talk persists that Zaha will be loaned out in January, with BBC Sport reporting that Moyes would allow him to leave the club temporarily, having spent six months of initial training at Old Trafford.

Shinji Kagawa

With the Japanese playmaker still relegated to the role of a squad player, rumours abound that a move back to Dortmund could be on the cards. IB Times suggest that a swap deal for Nevan Subotic could be feasible.

Javier Hernandez

As reported by Metro, Moyes has moved quickly to quash rumours of a January exit for United's super sub, although that the manager felt the need to speak out so publicly suggests that the player himself may be more open to the day than the club would like.

Anderson

The Daily Star reports that the club will look to sell Anderson in the summer for around £8m after he failed to make the most of his chances at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney

Chelsea will offer United £35m for Rooney in January, with Jose Mourinho undeterred in his efforts to bring the striker to Stamford Bridge according to Metro.

Leighton Baines

Name: Leighton Baines

Club: Everton

Position: Left-back

Potential Cost: £15-24m

According to John Richardson at The Express, talks are already at an advanced stage between Everton and United regarding a potential January switch for Baines from Merseyside to Manchester.

The English left-back would certainly add depth to the squad at Old Trafford, although questions still remain over whether the 29-year-old would be a suitable successor to Evra.

While Baines may have been the most prolific chance creator in Europe last season, he lacks the Frenchman's flair and quick feet when dribbling.

His arrival would signal an adjustment to United's established style of play, bringing in a greater emphasis on crosses and passes from deep rather than the surging penalty-box dribbles and drilled deliveries fans have become accustomed in recent times while watching Evra.

Fabio Coentrao

Name: Fabio Coentrao

Club: Real Madrid

Position: Left-back

Potential Cost: Loan or £12m+

Having almost moved to Old Trafford on loan in the summer, Coentrao could find himself garnering more attention from Moyes in January.

As a more comparable player to Evra, the Portuguese would fit the role of an attacking wing-back well, bombing down United's left and attacking the opponent's penalty box directly as opposed to Baines' more traditional take on the role of the cross-supplying, defensively diligent full-back.

With Juventus and Monaco now wise to a potential transfer for the former Benfica player, however, the opportunity to bring Coentrao to Old Trafford may now have been missed.

Luke Shaw

Name: Luke Shaw

Club: Southampton

Position: Left-back

Potential Cost: £25m+

A far more expensive and risky solution at left-back would be to bring in Southampton's Luke Shaw, with high demand for the England prodigy pushing his price sky high.

Yet the player himself is said to prefer a move to his boyhood club Chelsea and is willing to reject United as he waits for the chance to replace Ashley Cole at Stamford Bridge, according to The Daily Star's Carl Eldridge.

Should Moyes manage to convince Shaw and Southampton into agreeing a blockbuster deal in January however, the left-back could well secure the club's future in this key position, regardless of the risk involved with spending big on an 18-year-old, however promising he may be.

Ezequiel Garay

Name: Ezequiel Garay

Club: Benfica

Position: Centre-back

Potential Cost: £12m

According to The Mirror's John Cross, Garay's summer move to Old Trafford was all but complete when Moyes' arrival saw the transfer blocked with the new manager preferring to assess his options rather than continuing with the existing transfer policy.

Having taken time to consider the strength of United's squad, the new boss may perform another u-turn and try again for Garay with Ferdinand and Vidic struggling to stay fit.

What the Argentinian lacks in speed, he makes up for in his reading of the game and ability to play the ball out from deep. He could be a useful reinforcement to bring in, shoring up the back line and boosting the technical level of the defence.

Eliaquim Mangala

Name: Eliaquim Mangala

Club: Porto

Position: Centre-back

Potential Cost: £25m

Touted as a potential successor to John Terry at Chelsea, Mangala would be another high-cost target due to the presence of other, well-resourced suitors.

Yet, according to The Express' Ben Jefferson, both clubs' hopes of landing the exciting central defender have been given a boost due to his reluctance to move to France, where Monaco have now switched their focus over to St. Etienne's Kurt Zouma.

Harry Maguire

Name: Harry Maguire

Club: Sheffield United

Position: Centre-back

Potential Cost: £4m

Compared to the other prices mentioned so far in this list, Sheffield United centre-back Maguire could be something of a steal with United only needing to stump up £4m for his services.

Though inexperienced, the young Englishman has been a key figure for the Blades so far this year, helping the club's new manager Nigel Clough get off to a positive start at Bramall Lane.

According to The Mail's John Edwards, the 6'4" defender is an under-the-radar target for Moyes in January, with the need to prepare for the eventual retirements or departures of Vidic and Ferdinand weighing heavy on the manager's mind.

Michael Goncalves

Name: Michael Goncalves

Club: Basel

Position: Right-back

Potential Cost: £5m

Chris Smalling and Phil Jones could well be the players to benefit from a future without Vidic or Ferdinand, but their greater responsibility for the central positions in defence would mean that a new face is needed at right-back to cover Rafael.

FC Basel's Goncalves would be relatively cheap for a player with good potential and would offer more going forward than United's current back-ups on the right who are ultimately converted centre-backs.

Such a move may be one to build up the stocks in reserves, however, following on from the signing of Saidy Janko from FC Zurich back in September, as per Tribal Football.

Kalidou Koulibaly

Name: Kalidou Koulibaly

Club: Genk

Position: Defensive midfield/centre-back

Potential Cost: £7m

At 6'5", Koulibaly would be an imposing presence as United's midfield anchor or in central defence, and as reported by John Drayton of The Mail, a January move for around £7m may materialise as Moyes seeks to strengthen the spine of his team.

Ander Herrera

Name: Ander Herrera

Club: Athletic Club

Position: Central midfield

Potential Cost: £30.5m (release fee)

The one that got away? Interest in Herrera has cooled slightly since United's failed bid to undermine his release fee and bring him to Manchester on the cheap.

But with Bilbao's president Josu Urrutia going on record to declare the matter closed, as per Sky Sports, the club are clearly tense about an approach in January.

While United will not want to pay the player's eye-watering £30.5m release fee, Herrera could be exactly what Moyes' midfield needs: a robust, mobile and creative midfielder with the drive to push the team forward and tenacity to win back the ball when required.

Athletic Club would likely pull every trick in the book to prevent him leaving in the new year, meaning that his price could yet rise further due to the now infamously vague rules surrounding what tax is payable for foreign teams wishing to trigger Spanish release clauses.

Will Hughes

Name: Will Hughes

Club: Derby County

Position: Central midfield

Potential Cost: £15m+

An approach for Hughes would, like Shaw, be a tricky transfer to pull off with Derby keen to get the best fee possible for their young star and the player himself understood to be a Liverpool fan.

Yet The Manchester Evening News' Stuart Mathieson believes that the blond-haired midfielder should be a key target for the club, with a future, potential-packed partnership with Nick Powell—currently on loan at Wigan—worth pursuing to ensure that the club doesn't face another midfield crisis in the future.

Tendayi Darikwa

Name: Tendayi Darikwa

Club: Chesterfield

Position: Central midfield

Potential Cost: £1.5m+

Moyes himself was present at Fleetwood Town's Highbury Stadium to check up on Chesterfield's promising midfielder Darikwa earlier in October, according to The Mail's David Kent.

In an interview with United blog The Busby Babe, journalist Mike Calvin revealed that Moyes is one of the few managers who still takes part in scouting activities, with his visits to watch individuals forming a key part of his target acquisition process.

With Everton also in running to sign Darikwa, the presence of United's manager in the stands to watch the youngster may suggest that a move is close for the Zimbabwe-born prospect.

Remy Cabella

Name: Remy Cabella

Club: Montpellier

Position: Central midfield

Potential Cost: £15m

Montpellier have reportedly told United that they can sign Cabella for £15m, according to Metro's Jamie Sanderson.

The French attacking midfielder has been one of the stars for the 2011 Ligue 1 winners over the past couple of seasons and, having originally tried to sign the player while at Everton, Moyes may resume his interest in order to finalise a move in the new year.

Koke

Name: Koke

Club: Atletico Madrid

Position: Central midfield

Potential Cost: £18m+

Koke has made a big impression in La Liga so far this season, with Vicente Del Bosque fielding questions from the Spanish press about how he will fit the Atletico Madrid starlet into his plans for the national team going into Brazil 2014.

With Moyes missing out on Thiago, Fabregas and Herrera in the summer, he may be reluctant to return to Spain with another bid for a highly-rated young midfielder, yet there is serious interest in the player coming out of Old Trafford, according to Pete Jenson for The Mail.

Youri Tielemans

Name: Youri Tielemans

Club: Anderlecht

Position: Central midfield

Potential Cost: £15m

Could Tielemans be the latest Belgian wonderkid to secure a major move to the Premier League?

Still just 16 years old, the Anderlecht midfielder has already made his Champions League debut, and some commentators believe he could be one of the best talents to come out of his country's recent boom of potential stars.

Ftbpro.com report that scouts have been sent over to Belgium by United to assess Tielemans and a potential move for the midfielder could well follow in January.

Miralem Pjanic

Name: Miralem Pjanic

Club: Roma

Position: Attacking midfield

Potential Cost: £25m

Roma's Bosnian attacking midfielder has long been one of the most exciting young players in Europe.

His move to Serie A back in 2011 broke the hearts of many fans across Europe who dreamed of the prodigious playmaker joining their clubs from Lyon three years ago.

Now he may be on the move again, with United ready to table a £25m offer for Pjanic in January, according to Charlie Perrin for The Express.

With Roma flying high in Italy, however, such a move could well turn out to be another chapter in Moyes and Woodward's calamitous saga of unrealistic attempts to bring in unlikely midfield targets.

Wesley Sneijder

Name: Wesley Sneijder

Club: Galatasaray

Position: Attacking midfield

Potential Cost: £12m

United's interest in Sneijder feels like it has become more of a transfer window meme than a serious story, but according to The Mirror, the club will make another approach for the Dutchman in January after having reportedly been denied in the summer.

Sneijder's arrival would pose more questions than it answers, with the playmaker thought to endure a difficult relationship with his international teammate van Persie.

As well as demanding high wages, his age and latter-day tactical inflexibility all cast a rather concerning light over any such move.

Gareth Bale

Name: Gareth Bale

Club: Real Madrid

Position: Winger

Potential Cost: £100m

It's fair to say that the world's most expensive player has endured rather than enjoyed a rather inauspicious start to life in Spain.

Multiple injury niggles and an unhealthy dose of naivety on the field of play have seen the former Tottenham star's abilities and drive nullified by his new, canny La Liga opponents.

United are reportedly prepared to offer the player, who was once seen as the ideal successor to Ryan Giggs, an expensive exit route back to England, as per The Mirror.

Robert Lewandowski

Name: Robert Lewandowski

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Position: Striker

Potential Cost: £7m

Lewandowski is thought to have already signed a pre-contract agreement with Bayern Munich, intending to move to the Bavarians in the summer once his current deal expires.

With Jurgen Klopp keen to deter his rivals from snatching another one of his best players, this time on a free, Dortmund have been offering the Pole around Europe's top clubs for as little as £7m, according to Paul Hetherington for the Daily Star.

United are admirers of the striker, and with Rooney's future still uncertain and van Persie only getting older, bringing in the powerful frontman to boost the team's attack wouldn't be too far fetched.

Bruno Gomes

Name: Bruno Gomes

Club: Desportivo Brasil

Position: Striker

Potential Cost: £5m

Thanks to United's association with Desportivo Brasil, the club already own part of Bruno Gomes' signature.

With interest in the forward growing from the likes of Udinese and Juventus, it may be time to increase their stake in the player to a full transfer. 

SoccerLens.com believe a deal is all but complete for the Brazilian striker.

Christian Benteke

Name: Christian Benteke

Club: Aston Villa

Position: Striker

Potential Cost: £20m+

The Express' James Dickenson believes that United will swoop for Benteke in January, having identified the Belgian as an ideal replacement for Rooney, who could yet leave Old Trafford in the new year.

A move for Benteke would be reminiscent of United's capture of Villa's Dwight Yorke back in the summer of 1998, which supercharged the squad's forward line into a treble-winning four piece of Yorke, Cole, Solksjaer and Sheringham.

Fans will be hoping that a similarly positive, competitive atmosphere can be struck should another striker be brought in to supplement van Perise, Hernandez and Welbeck in the event of Rooney leaving.